Jewel of the Sea
by Iron Rose Writer
Summary: Kidnapped by his husband's old enemy, Antonio Carriedo, his house burned to the ground, and one of his sons missing, Francis can only wait and hope for Arthur to rescue them. But Alfred's already gone, how long before they take Matthew? Or him? Hurry, Arthur, please. [Series: Sea of Jewels; FACE family; Pirate AU; FrUK, Spanamo, mild GerIta, one-sided IggyChu]
1. Emerald's Ire

Francis Bonnefoy hummed happily to himself as he wiped down the mahogany counter top in his tavern, The Emerald's Ire. He had a lot to be happy, one could suppose. A roof over his head, clothes on his back, a well-paying job, and a loving family.

Ah, his family. They were what made him most happy. He had two, rambunctious twin boys. Well, Alfred was the only one who was really, truly rambunctious. Matthew was more subdued, but Francis spoiled them rotten. He always got an earful from Arthur whenever he came home.

The French ex-patriot stilled for a moment, a wistful smile growing on his face, as he thought of the British man. The namesake of his tavern. The man he loved. No one besides them and the boys knew that of course. Small towns in the English countryside were welcoming to most but neither of the two men wanted a repeat of what happened in the last town they had tried to settle down in.

Not to mention the fact that Arthur was the infamous Captain Kirkland. The Frenchman's face always held a gleeful smile as he thought back to how they had met - but that was a story for another time. His husband was a pirate and was gone for ridiculous lengths of time, making Francis worry about his well-being and when he was coming back, but pirating had brought them and the boys together and would never make Arthur give it up. However, it was just another reason why Francis could only see his lover a few times out of the year, since as much as small towns hated queers, they despised pirates more.

But that was beside the point. Arthur was coming home in two days. It was for the twins' birthday and Francis couldn't wait. They were turning thirteen and their Papa was going to make sure everything was perfect. Arthur was going to make a surprise appearance and Francis could already imagine their excited faces.

Francis smiled and paused in his cleaning as he thought back over his plans. Checking and double-checking his mental checklist. Making sure everything was going to be in the right place.

A chime from the bell over the door signaled new customers and it woke Francis from his thoughts. Three men entered, none of whom Francis recognized. But that was one of the perks - or downfalls - depending on how you looked at it - of running a seaside tavern. The Frenchman scanned his newest guests. They were definitely foreign. Or at least two of them were - no Englishman was that tan. Francis honestly couldn't tell where the last man was from with sight alone. Last he checked, albinos didn't have a country all for themselves.

They were armed, but again that was usual for a port town. What was unusual was their choice in armaments. All three carried swords, different types, but swords are swords. The albino also carried a pistol while one of the tan men only wore his sword. However, the other tan man - Francis guessed he was their leader - was armed to the teeth. Aside from the nasty looking sword hanging from his belt, he felt it necessary to carry two flintlocks and an array of knives. There was also a battle axe was strapped to his back.

These men were obviously dangerous and Francis felt an immediate urge to lock Matthew and Alfred in the back room until they were gone. However, before he could make a move to do so, the three were sitting at the counter.

" _Bonjour_ , _messieurs_ ," he said with forced cheer. He pushed his worried thoughts down. Everything would be alright as soon as he got these men out. "How can I help you?"

Now closer, Francis could more easily make out details on the men. The shortest of them was one of the tanner men. He had auburn hair with a strange curl in it. His eyes were a soft amber color, however, that softness was countered by the heavy grimace he wore. The albino was by far the tallest of the three. He had a good two heads on the shortest and about 12 centimeters on the other. He wore a sloppy, relaxed grin, but it didn't make Francis any less anxious. The last man had brown hair and wore an overly cheerful expression. He also had green eyes like Arthur, but at the same time, completely different. These eyes were cold and filled with hatred, despite the happy expression on their owner's face. Francis glanced at him cynically. Arthur had told him about an old enemy of his that matched this man remarkably close.

The one he had pegged as their leader replied flippantly, "Three glasses of your best Spanish wine."

Francis's had to hold back a grimace for two reasons. One, the man's Spanish accent marked another similarity between this man and Arthur's enemy. And, two, they didn't have any Spanish wine. Arthur refused to let him buy any because of his hatred for all things Spanish, which, in turn, was the fault of that formerly mentioned enemy.

" _Desole_ , _monsieur_ , but we do not carry Spanish alcohols," Francis said slowly. "But could I interest you in some Italian wines or Prussian beers?"

For some reason that got a loud laugh out of the albino. "See, Cap'? The Frenchy here knows his spirits."

Francis smiled uncomfortably. " _Merci._ "

"Shut up, you beer bastard," said the shortest of the group with an Italian accent.

It was obviously meant to offend but the albino just laughed even harder. "Oh, c'mon, Lovi. You need to work on your insults."

"My name's Lovino! You-you-you-!" the Italian spluttered.

Their leader slammed his fist down on the counter and Francis started in surprise. "Gilbert. Lovino," he snapped harshly, cheerful demeanor dropping for a moment. The two immediately ceased their bickering. When he turned back to Francis, his happy smile was back in full force.

" _Lo siento_. They act like such children sometimes," the Spaniard apologized.

Francis nodded. He wasn't sure why, but better safe than sorry.

The scary green eyed man went on without acknowledging his response. "So, _Senor_ Bar-keep, I was wondering if you could confirm a little rumor I've heard floating around."

The Frenchman opened his mouth to respond, but the man continued. "It's just that I hear that a certain pirate likes to visit these parts. Name 'Kirkland' ring any bells?"

Francis nearly dropped the glass he had been wiping. " _N-Non_ , _monsieur_. I have never heard of him."

The Spaniard cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. " _Que es muy sorprendente_. I talked to the people around here and they mentioned a 'Kirkland' visiting this very tavern almost, hmm… What was it…? Ah! Right!" The man's voice dropped to a level that screamed of danger. "Five times a year. And stays in _this_ tavern for a week. I don't know how you could miss him."

Francis flinched as he was caught in his lie. He opened his mouth to stammer out something, anything, that would fix this. But before he could retrieve a single word, Alfred and Matthew came barreling down the stairs and into their papa's legs.

Francis's blue eyes widened in panic. The boys should not be here. This was bad. Very bad.

He cleared his throat nervously. "Boys, why don't you go play in the yard?"

Matthew quickly picked up on the Frenchman's anxiety. "Papa, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling on his sleeve and squeezing his toy bear.

Francis tried to smile happily, but he doubted that it fooled anyone. "Nothing's wrong. But I really think you and your brother should go and play now." He was careful not to say their names. Giving out that sort of information could be a danger to their lives.

"No, no," said the green eyed Spaniard. "These are your _ninos_ , _si_? Let them stay." The man turned towards Alfred, already sensing that he was the more open of the two boys. He shot the little boy a grin. "And what are your names?"

"I'm Alfred," he said proudly. "And I'm twelve!"

"No you're not!" shouted the other boy. "We're still only eleven." His voice turned to a whisper as he continued. "Our birthday isn't for another two days. And my name's Matthew."

And with that, half of what Francis was trying to protect went out the window. As he racked his brain for a way to get Alfred and Matthew away from these dangerous men, he gazed around at the tavern and was surprised to see that a few more guests had trickled in while he was talking with the Spaniard.

That was perfect.

"Alfred, Matthieu, would you mind helping your papa out for a bit?"

The boys nodded and grinned at him. They loved it when Papa gave them grown-up jobs.

Francis smiled back. " _Bein_. Can you take the orders of those tables back there?" he said, pointing to the recently filled tables. The boys nodded once more and Matthew grabbed one of the billing sheets from under the counter.

Alfred, however, was already making his way around the end of the counter. The green-eyed man gave a nearly imperceptible nod to Gilbert and the albino was at the end of the counter. He put the boy in a headlock and picked him up.

Then everything happened at once. The Spaniard stood, knocked over his bar stool, and fired one round into the ceiling. A woman screamed and the Italian began ordering patrons out.

When the chaos died down, Francis surveyed the room in fear. Three new men had joined the first group. A tall, muscled blonde, another Italian, and, surprisingly, an Asian. However, Francis' eyes landed on his son struggling in the albino's hold and intense rage filled him. He pulled Matthew closer to him and the boy clung even harder to his shirt.

The Frenchman's eyes narrowed at the Spanish leader. "Release my son," he commanded.

Instead, the man just laughed. "You're not really in any position to make demands, now are you, _Senor_ Bar-keep?" He aimed his pistol between Alfred's eyes and Francis felt a wave of fear rush through him. The Spaniard kept talking. "Now, if you sit down over there and don't lie to me anymore, I won't mess up that pretty little face of his? _Comprende_?"

Francis gulped but nodded. He didn't let go of Matthew as he walked to the table the man had motioned to. He sat down and pulled the blonde boy onto his lap.

The Frenchman looked back up the Spaniard's face as he sat across from him. That happy little smile was back. "Now, I realize that we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. _Caiptan_ of the _Spanish Gold_ and leader of her pirate crew."

That confirmed all the suspicions Francis had about the man's identity. This was definitely the man Arthur had warned him about. He had said this man would stop at nothing to hurt him. They were in grave danger and Francis had walked them straight into it.

When Francis didn't respond, Antonio began getting impatient. He slammed his fists into the table. "Answer the question before I blow his brains out!"

The shout made Francis jump, which in turn, startled Matthew and starting his tears afresh. "Francis!" he answered quickly, "Francis Bonnefoy."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, _Senor_ Bonnefoy." And with that his happy-go-lucky attitude was back. "Now. Down to business. How do you know Kirkland?"

"H-He comes around every once in awhile."

Antonio's smiled never wavered. "Really?" He pushed the barrel of the gun into Alfred's forehead and cocked it. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't lie to me anymore, _Senor_ Bonnefoy." The man sighed disappointedly. "Oh well."

" _NON_!" Francis screamed as Antonio's finger moved towards the trigger. " _Je suis desole_! _Desole_! _S'il vous plait_! _Ne pas_! _Je vais dire la verite_! _Je promets_! _Je promets_!"

Antonio slowly lowered the gun and re-affixed his smile. " _Bueno_. Where were we? Ah, yes. What's your relation to Kirkland?"

Francis squeezed his eyes shut. He just couldn't face them. It wasn't out embarrassment - his and Arthur's relationship could never embarrass him. It was out of fear. Because he knew as soon as these pirates knew that, he and the boys would never be able to return to this life.

He took a deep breath and spoke. "Arthur- He and I- We're lovers."

"And the boys?"

"They're our sons."

Francis chanced a glance up at the pirate sitting across from him. The man was grinning from ear to ear and, unlike any of the other smiles Francis had seen, it actually reached his eyes. "Well, this is an _desarrollo interesante_. Tell me, when will Kirkland be back?"

The Frenchman looked down at the boy in his lap and then at the terrified face of Alfred. "Two days," he said. Tears threatened to leak out of his eyes. "For their birthday."

Disregarding Francis' display of emotion, Antonio stood. "Right then," he said and clapped his hands for attention. "Gilbert, Ludwig, Feliciano: take these three back to the ship. Gilbert, you know what to do. Lovino, Kiku: ready the torches."

Francis' eyes widened in horror as he realized what the pirates were going to do to him, the boys, and his home. "No! _S'il vous plait_! Don't do this! There has to be something-"

His pleas fell on deaf ears as he was swiftly backhanded. He fell out of the chair, displacing Matthew. The boy dropped his stuffed bear and it was picked up by the Italian who came in with Antonio. Matthew's hands were quickly snatched up by the other Italian. The muscular blonde hoisted the Frenchman off the floor. Without letting go of Alfred, the albino headed towards the door and the two holding Francis and Matthew quickly followed.

"Just get them to the ship," Antonio commanded.

They were dragged roughly through the streets. Onlookers stared, but did nothing to help. Gilbert set a brisk pace and Francis could tell Matthew and even the pirate that held him were struggling to keep up.

Suddenly, Francis heard a loud clamor coming from the place they had just left. He turned his head hoping beyond hope that what he saw wasn't real. But it was. It was all so real.

The Emerald Ire was burning. And it would burn to the ground.

Francis felt tears coat his face as Ludwig continued to drag him away as flames ate away at his home.

He could only pray that the same fate did not befall the tavern's namesake.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm only doing the not obvious translations. Anyone with any knowledge of either Spanish or French should know at least some of these words. Also, I don't have a foreign language keyboard so I know I'm missing some important letter thingies.**

 **Translations:**

 _Desole_ , _monsieur -_ So sorry, sir

 _Lo siento_ \- Sorry

 _Que es muy sorprendente_ \- That is very surprising

 _Caiptan_ \- Captain

 _Je suis desole_! _Desole_! _S'il vous plait_! _Ne pas_! _Je vais dire la verite_! _Je promets_! _Je promets_! - I'm sorry! So sorry! Please! Don't! I'll tell the truth! I promise! I promise!

 _desarrollo interesante_ \- interesting development

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked this as much as I do. Thanks for reading! And don't forget: any comments, questions, or snide remarks go in a review!**


	2. Sapphire Dawn

"Land ho!" shouted Emil from the crow's nest.

Arthur Kirkland grinned. Finally, he was home. As much as he loved the sea, he loved Francis, Matthew and Alfred more.

Those boys. How he loved those boys. He would do anything for them. He had done everything. He had given them a beautiful home, riches, toys, clothes. Everything he could think of to display his love.

He regretted not being at home often - he missed them all so much - but there wasn't much anyone could do about that.

Still he was home now. And just in time for the twins' birthday, just like Francis had planned. He couldn't wait to see how much they'd grown and all the stories of school they were going to tell him. His anticipation must have shown on his face though since it prompted a response from his first mate, Yao.

"Captain? Are you alright, aru?"

Arthur scowled at him but there was no truth to it. "Shut your trap. I'm perfectly fine. Thank you."

The first mate just rolled his eyes and let the subject drop.

Arthur swiftly and skillfully guided his ship, the _Sapphire Dawn_ , into the small town harbor. they quickly docked and Berwald, Tino, Mathias, Lukas, Emil, and Leon made quick work of tying them down. Arthur quickly announced that they were all free for the rest of the week or until Arthur thought it necessary to get back at sea.

After his crew disembarked, Arthur made his own way down the gangplank with Yao at his heels. He would have told the first-mate to bugger off, but he knew the man would have nothing to do here unless he was with him.

Arthur scanned the crowded dock for Francis' bouncy mop of blonde hair, but couldn't spot the other for the life of him. A seed of worry began to sprout in Arthur's stomach. Francis never ever missed meeting him at the docks. Okay, he had once, but that was only because Alfred had come down with scarlet fever and Francis couldn't leave him alone. Arthur hoped nothing like that was the case.

Arthur bit at his bottom lip as he pushed his way through the thong of people gathered around the harbor. He barely noticed any of them, leaving Yao to hurriedly apologize. When he finally reached the open streets, be began running towards the Emerald's Ire.

Or, what was left of it.

The pirate's feet ground to a halt as he stood in front of the charred remains of Francis' tavern. He could feel his heart break as he surveyed the damage to his home.

Where was his family going to live now?

Arthur's eyes widened in panic. He dashed into the heaps of ash and debris and began sifting through the wreckage. They couldn't be dead. Not his Francis. Not his Alfred. Not his Matthew.

The green-eyed man was nearing hysterics now. They had to be somewhere. Alive. Safe. Whole. They weren't dead. They weren't dead. They weren't dead.

He chanted that over and over in his head and under his breath.

"Captain Kirkland?" said a bored voice.

Arthur ignored it.

"Captain Kirkland?" said the voice again.

Arthur continued to ignore it.

The voice sighed. "Captain Kirkland, they're gone. The man and the boys who lived there are gone."

The pirate turned to the wielder of the voice. "THEY AREN'T DEAD!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face.

The man held up his hands in a placating motion. "Yes. You are correct. They are not dead. Or at least they did not die in that fire, so you are wasting your time."

Arthur blinked. "What?" He slowly came to his senses and recognized the man before him. It was Vash Zwingli, the town's constable. He was holding a white stuffed bear in his hand and Arthur's eyes narrowed as he recognized it as Matthew's favorite toy. The boy was never without it.

"Why do you have that?" the pirate demanded.

Vash quickly realized what he was talking about and handed the bear over. "I found it hanging in a noose in the door frame when I came to investigate the fire."

Arthur nodded absent-mindedly, barely noticing when Yao came up to stand beside him. All his focus was devoted to the bear. He traced a finger along the jagged cut that sliced through the bear's belly.

The constable sighed at the other man's lack of response. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small envelope. "This was attached to it with a knife."

Arthur quickly snapped back to present and snatched the letter out of Vash's hand. It had his name written in decorative calligraphy. He flipped it over and made short work of the envelope. He quickly scanned the throught the letter and could almost hear the cocky Spanish voice ringing in his ears by the end of it.

It read:

Hola _, Kirkland. You have obviously discovered the remains of that pitiful tavern your lover calls a_ casa _. But don't worry about him or your little_ ninos _. I'll be taking wonderful care of them. Who knows, maybe one of them will make a_ pirata bueno _one day! I know that your Frenchman will make a good deck hand._

Arthur nearly ripped the paper straight down the middle. His heart clenched in rage and jealousy. No one was allowed to touch his Francis or his boys. They were his and Antonio was more than dead if he hurt a single golden hair on his family.

 _As for those boys, they are quite the catch. I know several of your old_ enemigos _would just love to meet them. And by that I mean, break them in two. Or I could just drop them off in some random_ Nuevo Mundo _forest and leave them to fend for themselves. Depends on how_ dificil _they are. I'd hate for them to never see age 12._

Arthur immediately thought of Alfred and panic overwhelmed him. He knew the boy would fight against any threat to his family. Francis wouldn't do anything as long as the pirates had the boys and Matthew seemed too timid to try and struggle. There was a real chance he would never get to see Alfred again. But Arthur would never give up looking for his family.

 _I figure that you'll go search for me just as soon as you finish this and I wouldn't mind if you actually managed to catch up with me. I would love to defeat you and kill these_ idiotas _while you watch. But that can only happen if you meet me before I reach Tortuga._ Buena suerte _._ Adios _,_ Capitan _Antonio Fernandez Carriedo._

Arthur's hands curled in fury, crushing the letter between them. How dare this filthy mongrel threaten his family. How dare Antonio hurt the only things Arthur truly loved. The English pirate would get his revenge.

"Yao!" Arthur shouted, turning to his first mate. "Get the crew back to the ship. We're leaving."

The Chinese man's eyes widened. "But Captain, we have not resupplied! And we do not know where we are going, aru!"

"Tortuga," Arthur barked, marching back to his ship with a flip of his coat.

* * *

It took several hours but at last the _Sapphire Dawn_ was fully stocked for the trip to Cuba. Lukas, the crew's navigator, had quickly drafted a course and all they were waiting on now was the call to set sail.

As the first mate, Yao was assigned the job of retrieving Captain Kirkland. So that was what he did. The chinese man entered the hall where the first mate, navigator, medic, and captain resided. They each had their own room, leaving the rest of the crew to hammocks on the next level.

Yao knocked on Arthur's door. "We are ready to go, Captain."

Almost instantly the door swung open to reveal a disheveled Arthur Kirkland. Yao's eyebrow furrowed in concern.

"Are you alright, aru?" he asked.

"Irrelevant." Arthur brushed him off. The captain headed up the stair and onto the sunlit deck and left Yao in the hall. The Englishman began shouting orders and the crew scampered about. They completed each task with the precision that only came with years of experience. Arthur moved to the helm and the steering wheel and continued to shout orders from there.

Yao left him to it. The captain wouldn't need him until they were at least a few hours out to sea. Meanwhile he had other business to investigate. Arthur had left his cabin door open. This was something he never did - too concerned with privacy and all that. Usually, Yao wouldn't pry, but his captain was acting strange, and an unstable captain could spell disaster for a crew.

Especially a pirate crew.

Yao wasn't too concerned about a mutiny. All of Arthur's crew actually had a loving respect for their captain. The Englishman didn't command them with fear or threats. If fact, it was quite the opposite. Arthur often allowed his crew to do whatever they wanted as long as they did as they what told when he told them to. But at the same time all the crew also knew not to push the man's patience. What their captain said was final - no questions asked.

But that didn't mean Yao would let Arthur's strange behavior go unchecked. He had to get to the bottom of this. For the sake of the crew, or at least that's what he told himself. He knew he probably loved the captain more than Arthur loved him. And even though homosexuality was accepted in China, he knew that the Europeans despised it. Arthur would probably put him to death if he ever found out.

Yao loved Arthur and that was his true reason for entering the captain's room. He wanted to help Arthur, ease whatever burden had been placed on him. Thankfully, Yao knew exactly what he was looking for. That letter the village constable had given Arthur was the source of the captain's grief.

Yao didn't even have to look for it. It was simply lying on the desk, open and smoothed out. He picked it up gently and read.

When he finished, it was safe to say the chinese was shocked. Not only was his captain a homosexual, but he had boys as well.

But when he thought about it, he realized that it actually explained quite a lot about Arthur. The reason he gave Yao permission to bring his brother Leon with them. The reason he allowed Mathias hit on Lukas. The reason he tolerated that thing Emil and Leon had going on. The reason he let Berwald and Tino call each other husband and wife. The reason he permitted them bring that kid, Peter, aboard.

How the Englishman managed to gather a completely homosexual crew was something Yao would have to ponder at a later date.

It explained their abnormally frequent stops at that port town. Arthur practically living in that tavern while they were there. The joy those twins had when they saw him. Yao blinked. They must be the boys referenced in the letter. That meant the Frenchman was the bartender. That was Arthur's family.

All but one thing made sense to Yao. Even though he let all that happen, why wouldn't Arthur bring his family along on the ship? He could protect them better here, couldn't he?

"What are you doing?" demanded a sharp English voice.

Yao glanced up to see Arthur standing in the doorway of his cabin. The man's eyes were like ice and for the first time Yao actually felt true terror while looking at his captain. His mouth opened and shut like a fish as he tried to come with a plausible lie.

"I asked you a question," Arthur said, slowly approaching Yao and the desk. "What are you doing?"

Finally, Yao decided on the truth. "I was worried about you, aru!" he shouted, pinching his eyes shut.

He heard Arthur's steps falter and he peeked an eye open.

"Worried?"

"Yes, aru! You have been acting strange ever since we left that town. I want to know why."

Arthur frowned. "And did you?" he asked coldly.

Yao flinched, but nodded.

Arthur sighed and slumped onto the bed. He looked oddly defeated. Old even.

"I understand if you want to leave the crew now," Arthur said, seeming convinced that Yao hated him now. "Not many people would want to follow a captain who practices sodomy. We can drop you and Leon off at the next-"

"No!" Yao interrupted. "I mean, no thank you, aru. It does not matter to me. Back in China, homosexuality is not condemning like it is in Europe."

Arthur looked confused. "It isn't?"

Yao hurriedly shook his head. "No. Many of our past emperors were homosexual, aru."

Arthur obviously decided to take his word at face value. He sighed again and asked, "Any questions then?"

"About your family, aru?"

Arthur simply nodded.

Yao was taken aback. After the lengths the Englishman had gone to hide his family from the world, he was surprised that Arthur would be willing to share any more information than he already had.

"Why did you have them live on land instead of on the ship?" Yao froze after asking it. It was probably a personal topic but it was the one thing he couldn't understand about the situation.

Arthur let loose a bitter laugh. "Honestly? I thought they'd be safer. But look how that turned out. I wanted them to never have to deal with the horrors of pirates. Never wanted Alfred or Matthew to be forced to use a gun or a sword just to protect themselves from MY enemies. Never wanted anyone to ever find out about them. I thought, if I could just keep them away from this ship, they'd be safe. How more wrong could I have been?" Arthur buried his face in his hands. "And now everything I tried to prevent is happening. My worst enemy has my greatest treasures and I can't do anything. And it's all my fault. I just wanted them to be safe."

Yao had never seen his captain break down like this before. Arthur was one of the strongest people he knew. The man never cried. Mathias often commented that the captain's tear ducts had dried up long ago.

But this… This was a different Arthur. This Arthur was vulnerable. He wasn't leading. He was a man who was afraid that he would never again see the people he loved most.

Yao felt resolve burn its way through his chest. He knew what he had to do.

"Captain, I swore loyalty to you when I joined this crew, aru. I have followed you to the ends of the earth and I will follow you until the day I die." Yao took a deep breath. He knew he could never take Arthur from his French lover and he would never try, but these words still came from his heart. "I, Wang Yao, aru, swear, I will not rest until your family is found. I will stand by you when you welcome your family aboard this ship. And I promise that once they are here, they will never be harmed as long as I live. Do you accept my pledge?"

Arthur slowly raised his head out of his hands. Yao could see that the defeat in the captain's eyes was now gone. It was replaced by the spark of determination and passion that usually resided in the captain's green eyes. "I, Arthur Kirkland, captain of the Sapphire Dawn, accept your pledge."

Arthur stood and the two pirates shook on it.

* * *

 **Translations:**

 _Nuevo Mundo_ \- New World aka the Americas

 _Buena suerte_ \- Good luck

* * *

 **A/N: And there's chapter 2. (OMG My fingers burn from typing so much!) Be back tomorrow for chapter 3! Thanks for all the follows, faves and reviews! They make my day and my fingers hurt less.**


	3. Six Weeks

Six weeks. Six weeks since Matthew, Alfred, and Papa had been brutally ripped from their home and it burned to the ground. Six weeks since they were forced onto this ship and imprisoned like criminals. For six weeks Papa had been working for these accursed pirates as a deckhand. For six weeks Matthew had been locked away in the brig. Six weeks since he saw the sun.

Two weeks since he or Papa last saw Alfred.

About four weeks into their journey, the pirates apparently had enough with Alfred. His twin had been trying to escape from the moment they were brought aboard. He never got too far, but he kept trying. He promised Matthew that he would be the hero, defeat the pirates, and free them. At first, Matthew was so desperate and scared that he actually believed Alfred had a chance, but that hope quickly died. Now he was desperate for a different reason.

Alfred was his brother, best friend, and the only constant Matthew had before meeting Papa and Father. Alfred was his rock. Now that rock was gone and no one would tell him where it went.

Feli, the nicest of the pirates, wouldn't even look him in the eyes anymore. All he could get from the Italian was that at least the pirates hadn't killed Alfred themselves.

Suddenly, Matthew heard a loud boom and a great clamor arose from the deck. The wood above him shook as boots pounded against it. Matthew curled into himself in terror and began to cry softly. He barely noticed Papa being pushed down the stairs and into their cell. He only looked up after Papa pulled him into his lap. Matthew snuggled into his father's chest, trying to block out the booms and crashes from outside.

"Don't worry, _mon petit ours_ ," Papa whispered. " _Il est ton_ Father."

Matthew rubbed his eyes to dry his tears. He stared up at his father in wonder, silently asking if he was telling the truth.

Papa smiled and for the first time in six weeks, it met his eyes. " _Oui_. We are saved."

* * *

Six weeks. Six weeks since his family had gone missing. Six weeks since he had received that letter from Antonio. Six weeks since Arthur had thought of anything besides his family. Six weeks since his last restful night of sleep or proper meal. Six weeks since the world as Arthur knew it, ended.

Arthur had run out of things to occupy himself long ago. He had fixed the gash in Matthew's bear. He had sewn entire outfits for his family once he got them back. He had tried his hand at every job his ship had to offer. He had spent every waking minute scouring the ocean for Antonio's ship.

He had told the rest of the crew about his family at the suggestion of Yao. And they had much the same reaction as the Chinese even though they were European. Maybe it was because they all had the same preferences as him and knew that they couldn't really go anywhere else anyway.

"Ship off the port bow!" Emil called.

"Flag?" Arthur shouted back.

As Emil brought the spyglass back to his face and readjusted it, Arthur felt his heart surge in hope. Failure after failure had not dampened his faith that he would find his family.

"Pirate. Spanish," Emil paused. "It's her! The _Spanish Gold_!"

Arthur's legs gave out from under him and he collapsed to the deck.

Six weeks of searching finally paid off.

"Prepare for battle!" Arthur commanded.

Mathias, Lukas, and Berwald rushed to gather their weapons. Tino ushered Emil, Leon and Peter below before joining the other men atop. There was an unspoken agreement between the crew that those three were never to be on deck during battle.

Captain Kirkland steered the ship towards the Spanish sloop and they quickly approached. The other pirate crew had not yet noticed them and Arthur was fully prepared to take advantage of that.

"Ready cannons!" he shouted. "Aim at the water close to the ship! Do not hit them!"

Arthur was taking a risk by not crippling the _Spanish Gold_ but it was a bigger risk to hit it and accidentally sink it with his family aboard.

He pulled them closer and finally ordered, "Fire!"

Several cannons went off and alerted the opposing crew to their presence. Arthur could have sworn he saw Francis, before whoever it was was shoved below decks.

"Fire!" he cried once more. Again the cannons went off and then a new command was issued.

"Prepare to board!" A chorus of "Aye-aye's" emerged from the crew and Arthur shouted again. "Not a single death! I will not have my boys see a corpse! Leave Carriedo to me!"

* * *

Six weeks. Six weeks since he began his revenge on Arthur Kirkland. Six weeks since he stole Arthur's family right from under his nose. Six weeks of subjecting his enemy's lover to back breaking labor. Six weeks of waiting for Kirkland to catch him.

For if there was one thing certain in the world, it was that.

Just the thought of the almighty Captain Arthur Kirkland breaking down as he discovered his missing family brought a smile to Carriedo's face. Even if the other pirate didn't catch him, Antonio would always have that precious daydream.

 _BOOM!_

The loud noise shook Antonio out of his head. This was it. What he had been waiting for for the past six weeks. Kirkland was finally here.

"Get him below decks and keep him there!" the Spanish pirate ordered Feliciano.

"VE~!" screeched the Italian before pulling the Frenchman below.

"Lovino! You too!" Antonio commanded

Antonio couldn't afford to have either of those two on deck during a battle. Lovi was too important to put in harm's way and Feliciano was a idiot and a liability. Not to mention, as long as he was on deck, Ludwig, one of their best fighters, refused to do anything besides protect the little brat and Antonio needed the German focused on the fight.

"Prepare to be boarded!" Antonio shouted. "No one touches Kirkland! He's mine."

* * *

 **Translations:**

 _mon petit ours -_ my little bear

 _Il est ton_ Father - It is your Father

* * *

 **A/N:** **Sorry this is so late. I know I promised this would be up on Thursday but things happen. Thought the next chapter should be up by Tuesday.**

 **Anyway, what did ya'll think of this writing style? I was experimenting a little. The whole repeating thing is actually a rhetoric trope called anadiplosis. It happens when you take the first word(s) of a clause and repeat them at the start of the next one. It's supposed to emphasize those word(s). So did it work? Was it annoying? Cool? Weird? You tell me.**

 **Another little question: Did you like Francis' nickname for Matthew? "My little bear" I thought it was fitting since he always carries around that polar bear toy. Francis actually has a special nickname for all the FACE members. (If any of you FACE writers out there like it, feel free to use it.)**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**


	4. Blood Rubies

**A/N: Beware! Mushy, gushy, sappy, cliche romance scenes ahead! Proceed at own risk!**

 **Also, mild violence. 'Cuz, ya know, pirates?** **(BTW I don't claim to be able to write good combat scenes, but I tried my best.)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The deck was in chaos. Sword clashed against swords. Pistols long abandoned lay scattered across the two ships. All that could be heard was the clanging of metal to metal and blow to blow.

Berwald was going fist-to-cuffs with Ludwig but the Swede was fighting a losing battle. Tino tried to help him by shooting bolts from his crossbow, but it wasn't doing much good. Ludwig spent all his spare time sparring with anyone who would fight with him and it always paid off. Berwald, on the other hand, hated violence and only fought when he had to protect Tino and Peter.

Their battle was over quickly. Ludwig sent a punch to Berwald's face, breaking his nose. His glasses skittered across the deck and out of reach. Tino immediately dropped his crossbow and ran to his lover's side. He swung Berwald's arm over his shoulder and half carried the larger man to the side of the ship.

Ludwig, having defeated his opponent, decided to aid his brother. Gilbert was fighting both Mathias and Lukas all by himself. Even though the albino had only a sword and Mathias, a battle axe, and Lukas, combat knives, he was holding his own.

Ludwig pulled out his own set of knives and attacked Lukas. What Ludwig didn't anticipate though, was being so tired after his fight with Berwald. The Swede had landed several good blows before his defeat and Ludwig was starting to feel them. But the German couldn't back out now.

Lukas quickly noticed the other's lack of energy and used that to his advantage. He wasn't as tired since Mathias had been taking the brunt of Gilbert's attacks. The Norwegian threw himself into the battle. He easily discovered Ludwig's lack of experience in knife wielding and it was only after a few more strikes before the German was defeated.

Tino quickly dashed up and tied the man's hands behind his back.

On the other side of the deck, Ludwig's unexpected charge distracted Gilbert and threw off his timing. Where he should have blocked, he thrusted, leaving him open to an attack from Mathias. The Dane took it. He swung his axe and managed to cut the albino before he spun away.

Gilbert was now wounded and much of his energy drained with the blood pouring out of his side. Axes cut deep and their wounds were incredibly deadly. Gilbert fell to his knees gripping his side.

He nearly passed out but there were arms picking him up and taking him away. He felt hands pressing against the wound, stemming the flow of blood. Someone demanded he stay awake and forced him to drink some alcohol. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain near the wound.

Gilbert cracked his eyes open to see Tino and Lukas stitching him up. They were trying to save his life.

Lukas pulled the needle and thread through his skin, sewing the wound shut. Gilbert closed his eyes again and gritted his teeth through the pain. It was over soon enough and then they were wrapping his middle in gauze.

Tino told him he could sleep and Gilbert gladly passed out. The five men talked amongst themselves quietly and eventually decided to send Mathias and Lukas below decks to search for the captain's family.

Back on the other side of the ship, Kiku and Yao were sword fighting with the skill garnered from years of experience. Kiku wielded his katana with practiced ease. He swung it at Yao and the Chinese narrowly missed losing a hand. Yao responded with a attack at Kiku's stomach, but it was blocked by the other's katana once more.

They repeated this cycle over and over, but aiming for different body parts each time. They nicked each other several times but none bad enough to warrant medical attention.

However, the real battle was between Arthur and Antonio. The two pirates fought as if their lives depended on it. Which, technically, they were. Antonio knew Arthur would kill him as soon as he got the chance and Arthur knew if he lost Antonio would end his family.

Man would bleed rubies before either pirate allowed for those outcomes.

Not a word was exchanged as they fought. There was no need. They could read each other's moves. Each parry was met and each blow was countered. They moved across the deck in a dance of sharpened steel and potential death.

Antonio forced Arthur backward and then Arthur was forcing him backwards. They were in a never ending cycle of combat that neither could win.

A stalemate.

That was until Antonio stepped backwards and onto Berwald's fallen glasses. The combination of glass and wet wood was not good for the Spaniard's balance and he fell on his rear.

Arthur raised his sword to deliver the finishing blow. He was livid. This scum would die for taking the things he loved. No one touched Arthur's family and lived. It was unforgivable.

Antonio had never been more scared in his life. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. He was meant to be the victor. He knew this was a possible outcome when he began this venture, but he never thought it would actually happen. But he put on his best glare.

Arthur was so mad he forgot the promise he had his crew make. The promise that not a single death would take place. That his children would not see a corpse. He was ready to kill Carriedo for his actions. However, he froze when a sharp cry came from his left.

"NO!"

* * *

Matthew and Francis stared at the planks above them in hope and fear. Hope because they knew Father was up there fighting for them. Fear of what would happen if he lost.

As the ship groaned at the fighting above their heads, the Italian brothers bickered. Feliciano want to go topside but Lovino refused.

"Antonio hates it when we're up there during battle. And you'd just distract the potato bastard anyway," Lovino spoke as if they had this same conversation a hundred times before, which they had.

"But-"

"He'd just end up getting dead trying to protect you."

That shut Feli up fast. If there was one thing he couldn't tolerate it was others getting hurt on his account. There was a few moments of tense silence before the small italian began wailing once more.

"I can't take it, ve~!" he cried, heading for the stair that lead above decks.

But before he had taken even two steps, the hatch swung open and light poured into the dimly lit brig.

Two unfamiliar men stepped down. Feli backed up fast and Lovino pulled him behind him protectively and drew his sword. The newcomers brought their weapons up as well when they spotted the Italian brothers.

"Y-You're part of Kirkland's crew?" Lovi asked shakily.

"Where are Francis, Matthew, and Alfred?" one of them demanded.

Matthew eyes lit up when he heard the men ask for them.

"Over here!" cried Francis. He crushed Matthew closer to his chest in relief.

"Lukas," commanded the tall one. "Get them out. I'll deal with the Italian."

Lukas nodded and made short work of the lock on their cell. He held open the barred door. Francis clutched Matthew's hand as if he was afraid to lose him and Matthew squeezed back just as tightly.

The other man, who was quickly introduced as Mathias, had already subdued Lovino. He held the angier Italian's arms behind his back and Feliciano seemed to just go along with whatever the Dane said so all was good.

"Let's get you to the Captain," Mathias said with a cheery smile. "Lukas, if you please."

The Norwegian rolled his eyes, but led the party up and out of the brig.

Matthew squinted and shielded his eyes from the blinding glare of the sun. His eyes weren't used to so much light after spending so much time below decks. His jaw dropped at the scene before him.

And so did Lovino's.

"NO!" the Italian screamed. He ripped himself out of Mathias' grip and threw himself between Antonio and Arthur's sword.

The Englishman barely halted his sword in time. "Who in the devil are you?"

Antonio blinked. His proud face fell away to reveal one of terror and horror. "Lovino?" he whispered in shock. "What are you doing?"

The Italian ignored him. "Please. Don't, Mr. Kirkland," he pleaded quietly. No one had ever heard Lovino so meek.

Arthur made no move to lower his sword and Francis decided that now would be a good time to step in.

"Arthur? _Mon bijou_?" he said quietly.

The English pirate blinked recognizing the voice. "Francis?" Arthur turned and there his husband stood. His sword clattered to the deck as he raced to embrace his lover.

Francis and Matthew met him halfway. The two men fell into each other's arms. They sank to their knees and Francis pulled Matthew into the hug. They stayed there for a whole minute, simply basking in the presence of their loved ones.

Arthur was the first to pull away. He heard the violent clashing of swords and glanced around the deck for the origin of the noise.

Yao was still fighting Kiku.

"Carriedo!" Arthur shouted. He beckoned to the fight. "Call off your man!"

In a second, the Spaniard's grimace was back. He was about to call the opposite, but Lovino elbowed him. Antonio took one glance at his Italian's fearful face and decided against annoying Kirkland further.

"Honda," he called dejectedly. The Japanese man didn't hear him. Lovi frowned at him and Antonio sighed. This time he shouted, guaranteed to get his attention. "Honda! Yield!"

Kiku looked at him, confusion written on his otherwise expressionless face. The man quickly realized what had happened and nodded his understanding. He took a step back and raised his hands in surrender.

Yao quickly took him captive. He brought him over to where the rest of Antonio's crew sat, tied up and bound.

Arthur turned his attention back to his family. He scanned them with his eyes. He was looking for any signs of abuse, mistreatment, or any excuse to make Carriedo walk the plank.

Their clothing was in tatters. Arthur was glad he had made spares during those six weeks. They were also rather thin. Or at least Matthew was. Francis actually had some muscle. Arthur wondered how that had happened. The Frenchman's abilities were all mental and he hated physical labor. He had worked as a navigator on his last ship, not a deckhand. Francis also had a heavy tan. Another sign of outdoor labor.

Matthew, on the other hand, was as pale as a ghost. Arthur crouched down to get a better look at his son. The boy was blinking rapidly and squinting. It seemed like his eyes had somehow been damaged. Arthur snarled at the thought. Matthew flinched.

Arthur's eyes widen as he realized that he scared his son. He reached out and cupped Matthew's face. "I'm sorry, Matthew. Are your eyes okay?"

Matthew looked down at his feet. "I dunno. It's really bright. And faraway is a little blurry."

Arthur nodded. He would have to get the boy glasses. "What about you, Alfred?"

There was no response.

Arthur's eyebrows crinkled as he looked about the deck. There was no sign of the energetic blonde. He looked up at Francis. The corners of the Frenchman's eyes held tears.

"Francis?" he asked, panic leaking into his voice. "Where's Alfred?"

The tears slipped from his eyes as he shook his head.

Arthur's breaths began coming in short. "Where's Alfred? Francis?! Where is he?"

"You'll never find him," cackled Antonio.

Arthur had nearly forgotten about the pirate in his assessment of his family. The Spaniard and both Italians had been bound and placed with the rest of the captured crew men. Carriedo wore a victorious smirk and Arthur felt his rage boil over again.

The Englishman stood and marched over to the bane of his existence. He whipped out his second sword and pointed it at Carriedo's throat. It pressed against his Adam's apple.

"Tell me what you did with my son," he demanded, voice cold as ice.

Antonio sneered. "Never."

Arthur pressed the tip in further and a small bead of blood pooled at the contact. "You will. Now, where-"

"Ve~! I'll tell!" came a panicked squeal.

Ludwig panickedly shushed him. "Feliciano, stop talking."

"No. Continue, Feliciano," Arthur said, the threat obvious in his tone.

The Italian let out a confused whimper.

"Let's make a deal," Ludwig sighed.

Arthur sneered. "I honestly don't think you have anything to offer me."

"Just hear me out," the German asked. Kirkland cocked an eyebrow but did not speak, so Ludwig continued. "I will tell you where your boy is and," Ludwig took a deep breath. He was taking a big risk here. "I will show you where Captain Carriedo has hidden all his treasure."

Shocked and horrified gasps came from all the assembled men.

" _Traidor_!" shouted Antonio, enraged.

"Shut up!" demanded Arthur. He turned back to Ludwig. "And what do you want in return?"

The German took another deep breath. This would be the hardest thing to convince Kirkland of. "I would like you to allow Kiku, Lovino, Feliciano, my younger brother, Gilbert, and myself to join your crew. If they want to, of course."

Arthur frowned at the other half of the bargain. "There's really no reason for me to trust any of you and I'm not sure if I want to allow so many potential threats aboard my ship. I could take just you though."

Ludwig felt his hopes drop. He shook his head. He refused to leave any of his crew mates, especially Feliciano, behind. Antonio was a terrible captain. His form of leadership meant twisting others around his fingers to get them to do what he wanted. Antonio controlled Lovino, who controlled Feli. Ludwig would do anything for the small Italian so he was captive to Antonio's whims, and Gilbert was trapped by Ludwig's commitment. The only person Ludwig couldn't give a reason to was Kiku. The man followed his orders without complaint - no matter how much he was against them.

Not to mention the fact that they were all against this from the start. Kidnapping rich businessmen was one thing… But children? And for revenge no less? Antonio had gone too far.

"Anyone who wants to come must be allowed aboard," he insisted.

Francis came up and placed a hand on his husband's shoulder. "Come, _mon bijou_ , think about this." He pulled Arthur away from the captive crew.

"I am thinking, Francis," Arthur sighed.

"Then you know that this deal is a good one and you should accept."

Arthur rubbed his face tiredly. "Francis-"

He pulled the pirate into a tight hug. "Arthur, he didn't ask you to house Carriedo. Just him and the rest of the crew. Isn't that worth Alfred's life?"

Arthur could tell Francis was desperately trying to keep himself from falling apart. The Frenchman continued, "I haven't seen him in two weeks and the only thing we could get out of them was that they didn't kill Alfred themselves. We won't find him without their help."

Arthur nodded, defeated. "Our only problem then is finding room for them all on the ship."

Francis let a small smile curl the edges of his lips at Arthur's attempt at humor. "I'm sure we can find space. We'll probably have to fit two to a room though," he teased playfully.

Arthur rolled his eyes and frowned at him, but the effect was ruined by the light dusting of pink that colored the pirate captain's cheeks at the implications. It was quickly wiped away, however, when Arthur smirked and came up with his own clever retort.

"I think we'll have to sleep three to a room, love. I don't believe all these treacherous pirates would be a good influence on little Matthew, now would they?"

Francis's eyes widen as he realized he was no longer holding onto to the amethyst-eyed twin. He spun around in panic. "Matthieu? Matthieu?! Matth-"

A tug came from the hem of his shirt. Francis looked down to see Matthew standing there, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What's wrong, Papa?" the little boy asked.

Francis sighed in relief. " _Sacre bleu_! Don't run off like that! There are dangerous men here and-"

"But, Papa," Matthew looked up at him, concern and confusion still evident in his voice, "I've been right here the whole time."

Francis blinked in surprise and Arthur snorted.

"Ah, oui. You are right," he said, thoroughly cowed.

Arthur composed himself. A plan was already forming in his mind. He straightened his coat and tri-cornered hat and slipped back into pirate-mode. "Francis, hold on to Matthew. I need to discuss things with Yao and the rest of my crew. If you'd like you can take him to my cabin on the other ship. Tino can show you the way."

Francis nodded and dragged an awed Matthew away from the new, intimidating version of his father.

"Yao. Matthias. Lukas," Arthur barked. The three rushed to his side. "Yao, I need you to make a list of all the supplies we have aboard the ship. You two. Take inventory of all the supplies on this ship. I need to know if we have enough food to get us back to Europe."

Yao's eyes widened. "You're accepting his deal, aru?"

Arthur nodded curtly. "Yes. Now, do as I asked. I need to see how many are going to be joining us."

The crewmen scurried off to their respective tasks and Arthur marched over to the group of captive pirates. He smiled when he saw someone - probably Tino - had the foresight to gag Carriedo. It gave him great satisfaction to see the Spaniard so pathetic and helpless. The poor thing was glaring at him, desperately holding onto one last scrap of pride.

Arthur simply slid his gaze over him and to the true reason he was over here once more.

He stared down at the German. "Mister…"

"Beilschmidt."

"Mr. Beilschmidt, I accept your proposal. With all conditions intact. Anyone who wants to take advantage of this offer, speak now."

The Japanese man spoke quietly. "I would gladly join your crew, Mr. Kirkland."

"That's 'captain' then," said Arthur cocking an eyebrow.

"My brother is fortunately unconscious," Ludwig interjected quickly. "But he will be coming with me."

Arthur nodded in acceptance. "Anyone else?"

Kiku and Ludwig turned to the Italians.

"I'm not leaving Antonio, you traitorous bastards!" Lovino sneered.

Ludwig shrugged. That was the expected response. He turned to the other Italian. "Feli…?" he prompted.

Feliciano was torn. Torn between loyalty and love. Torn between Ludwig and Lovino. Torn between his brother and the man he cared for more than anything.

It should have been a simple decision, really.

But it wasn't. It wasn't anywhere near that simple. Lovino wanted to stay with Antonio - he was smitten even if he wouldn't admit it. Not to mention that he had no idea what Kirkland was planning on doing with Antonio. Feli couldn't leave his brother.

But he could abandon Ludwig either. Without Ludwig, Feli would be dead ten times over. The German was his savior and protector and made him feel safer than he ever thought he could. He would never survive without Ludwig.

Feli glanced up at the German and then at Lovino. His expression was shaped with worry. That alone shook Ludwig to the core. Never had he seen Feli look like that.

"W-What about Lovi, ve~?" the Italian asked timidly.

Kirkland was about to respond when a hand landed on the Englishman's shoulder. Feli quickly recognized the owner as Francis. The blue-eyed man smile happily at him and spoke.

"Well, Feliciano, Arthur here will be taking them back to Europe and be dropping them off at the first port we reach. Won't you, mon bijou?"

Arthur looked taken aback by the statement, but one look at Feliciano's hopeful gaze and his will to fight crumbled. "Alright," he sighed. "But they're staying in the brig."

* * *

 **Translations:**

 _mon bijou_ \- my jewel

 _Traidor_ \- Traitor

* * *

 **A/N: And BOOM! Chapter 4 out a day early! (Bam! Take that, crappy schedule!)**

 **Anywho, Arthur is Francis' jewel. It fits perfectly within the contents of this fic, if I do say so myself.**

 **Well,** **you'll finally get to discover what happened to poor Alfred next chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading! Don't forget to comment!**


	5. Across the Aquamarine

The new crew members were quickly sworn in and put to work. Arthur discovered just how important an oath was to the German and the Japanese just then. The two crew men immediately set to work without complaint. Feliciano soon caved and pledged fealty to Arthur as well.

Berwald recovered quickly to Tino's delight. Lukas checked him over, announced that he didn't have a concussion, and gave him his spare pair of glasses. Berwald helped to move the still unconscious Gilbert to the _Sapphire Dawn_ 's infirmary, where Lukas proceed to fuss over the injured man.

Antonio was sent to the brig, but, at Feliciano's request, Lovino was free to wander about the ship. He refused of course. One of the stipulations behind the agreement was that he had to help out and there was no way his hatred for Arthur would allow him to do that.

The _Spanish Gold_ was thoroughly ransacked. Everything of value was taken as well as all the food. Arthur was surprised at just how much food Carriedo kept aboard. When he asked about it, Kiku explained that Feli was their cook and very picky about the foods he prepared, so they always had to have everything in stock. But apparently the Italian was a fantastic cook so it was worth it.

As soon as the _Spanish Gold_ was empty, Arthur had his crew load the cannons once more. Everyone assembled on the main deck and Carriedo was brought up from below.

He sneered when he saw Arthur. "What now?"

"I want to show you something," Arthur said, words dripping with venom. He spun Carriedo around to face the other's ship.

"This is for Francis's tavern," the Englishman whispered. Antonio barely had time to react before Arthur shouted.

"Fire!"

The air was quickly filled with the booms of cannon balls and the splintering cracks of wood. Antonio fell to his knees as he watched his pride and joy sink. Three more rounds were fired off and everyone cheered once the last of the Spanish ship sunk below the waves.

Carriedo was dragged back down to the brig and Arthur returned to his cabin. Francis and Matthew went with him. Once they were alone, Francis drew him into an embrace.

"That was beautiful, _mon bijou_ ," he said, pulling away and looking into Arthur's eyes.

The pirate captain smiled at him. "I'm glad you liked it. I was worried you might think it overkill."

Francis laughed. "Overkill? _Non_. _Il n'a eu que ce qu'il mérite_."

"Good," Arthur replied. He kissed Francis for the first time since the rescue.

It was wonderful. Simply melting into the Frenchman's touch was more than Arthur had even dared to let himself hope for. He broke off the kiss and buried his face into Francis' chest. The man was wearing the shirt Arthur had made for him, but it already smelled like him. Francis drew him tighter and he moved them to the edge of the bed.

Sitting down, Arthur could feel tears pool in the corners of his eyes. Finally, he could drop the pretense of being a pirate and a captain. Finally, most of his family was back in his arms and he could let all the pressure, worry, and stress roll off his shoulders. Finally, he could let all his pent up emotions out.

"I missed you so much," he said.

"I know," whispered Francis, stroking his hair. "I missed you too."

Arthur felt the mattress dip slightly and then a smaller pair of hands were wrapping themselves around his neck. A tiny 12 year old body pressed against his back and a few warm tears dripped onto his shirt.

"I missed you too, Father," Matthew said quietly.

Francis wrapped an arm around his son and his husband and Arthur was happy to just rest in the embrace.

* * *

A few hours later, they were well on their journey and Arthur called a meeting of the crew. They met in the mess hall. It was the largest room on board and it barely held them all. Arthur would have called them above deck, but Gilbert had woken up and Lukas didn't want him moving too much, lest he rip his stitches.

So the mess it was.

Arthur took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He hated this part of captaining. Pirates aren't good listeners and the whole thing was incredibly stressful. But it had to be done. Francis gave him a thumbs up and Matthew grinned at him. Arthur calmed and called the room to attention.

"Alright," he began. "As you should all know by now, we have four new crew members. Please treat them with the same respect that you treat each other. At the moment, they are on the standard probationary period and working on earning my full trust. I do, however, have specific jobs I would like them trained for. Ludwig, you will work under Tino managing weapons and the like. Feliciano will be apprenticed under Berwald in the kitchen."

"VE~!" Feli squealed. "Pasta!"

Arthur took a step back at the surprise interruption, but quickly composed himself and cleared his throat. "Ah, yes," he said, glancing precariously at the Italian. "Regardless, Kiku, at the moment, I have placed you as a rigger, but that is subject to change. Gilbert, I will assign you a position once Lukas deem you fully healed.

"Right now, we are headed for the coast of France. According to Lukas' calculations, we should reach Europe within the month. When we arrive, Carriedo and Lovino will be removed from this ship and we will restock. From there, we will begin our search for my missing son." Arthur's composure almost broke as he spoke.

It wasn't fair really. His son should be in his arms right now - not on some god-forsaken ship in the middle of the sea. But, no, taking that bastard Carriedo home was more important. It was for the best though. The longer the Spaniard was on the ship, the higher the possibility that Arthur would kill him in a fit of rage. Francis promised Carriedo and Lovino safe passage, and Arthur would rather die than tarnish the Frenchman's word.

The Englishman sighed and finished. "That is all. I give you permission to celebrate Carriedo's defeat any way you wish." The crew erupted in cheers at the idea of celebration. Typical pirates. "Yao has your bunking assignments. Good night."

Arthur stepped down off the table he was using as a stage. Francis had Matthew in his lap and the poor boy was asleep. Even Francis was yawning. Arthur chuckled lightly.

"Let's get you two back to my cabin," he said softly. Francis nodded sleepily and stood. He moved Matthew to his hip and the child wrapped his arms around his papa's neck. The cheers must have roused him.

He blinked blearily at Arthur and the pirate smiled. "Go back to sleep, love. It's past your bedtime."

Arthur knew that he was using faulty logic - being trapped on a pirate ship for over a month would ruin any semblance of a 'bedtime' - but Arthur was trying to give his son a sense of normalcy. Thankfully, the boy bought it. Matthew nodded and closed his eyes again.

Arthur touched Francis' arm lightly and lead him out of the mess hall and back to the captain's quarters. The Frenchman laid Matthew down on the bed before falling down on it himself.

Arthur cocked an eyebrow at the display. "Boots," he chided.

Francis sighed, but sat and took off his boots, before gliding over to Arthur. "Come to bed, _mon bijou_."

"But-" Arthur looked anxiously at the door.

Francis read his mind. "Don't worry about them. Yao will keep them under control. And that Kiku fellow looks like he's got a good head on his shoulders."

Arthur sighed in defeat. He quickly removed his hat, coat, gloves, boots, and all his various weapons. Francis went back to the bed and Arthur quickly joined him. The two men snuggled together with Matthew between them.

"You know I love you, right?" Arthur whispered.

"Of course," Francis laughed. "You wouldn't chase a crazy Spaniard halfway across the Atlantic if you didn't."

Arthur smiled in the dark. "Good." He snuggled in deeper. He couldn't wait until Alfred was back and his family was reunited once more.

He felt Francis wrap an arm around him and Matthew. Then the Frenchman spoke.

"I think you're going to need a bigger ship though."

Arthur would have smacked him if his arms weren't pinned beneath the sheets.

* * *

A month passed without event and they arrived on the coast of France. Antonio and Lovino were brought out of the brig and quickly forced off the ship. To their surprise, Francis was waiting for them at the bottom of the gangplank.

Lovino glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Is that the way you greet the person who saved your lover's life?" Francis retorted cockily.

The angry Italian flushed beet red and began to splutter refutations, but Francis waved him off. "Don't try and deny it. You jumped in front of a sword to protect him. If that isn't love then I'm not French."

Before the Italian could continue spouting obscenities, Antonio spoke. "Why are you here, Bonnefoy? Surely Arthur wouldn't approve of you talking to me." The month spent in the brig had done nothing for the Spaniard's personality. His smiles still never reached his eyes.

"Arthur is not in control of my actions, Antonio," Francis replied smoothly. "And I am here because I am not like you or Arthur. I don't hold petty grudges. I don't hurt others when I don't get my way. I forgive. With or without apology." The Frenchman pushed a small chest towards them with his foot. "It's yours. Buy a tomato farm or something." With that, he turned on his heel and walked into the throngs of people milling about the docks.

Antonio stood stunned for a moment. The forgiveness meant nothing - he hadn't been looking for it - but the idea that the Frenchman would give him anything after all he did was inconceivable.

Lovi stared suspiciously at the box. He nudged it with his foot before declaring, "It's probably a bomb. Let's drop it in the harbor."

Antonio just shook his head and crouched down to open the chest. The lid came off easily and then clattered to the ground as the Spaniard discovered its contents.

"Lovi, look," he said in awe.

Inside the small box was a good sized pile of gold doubloons.

Lovino gaped at the small fortune before them. "We really could buy a tomato farm."

Antonio looked up at the Italian in confusion. "You actually want a tomato farm?"

The Italian flushed and Antonio had his answer. Despite Lovino's continued protests, Antonio snatched up the chest and headed away from the ship. Lovino hurried after him.

"Come on, Lovi. If you want a tomato farm then you're getting a tomato farm. You saved my life, it's the least I can do."

Lovino nearly stopped in his tracks. Antonio had never said anything like that before. Maybe that time in the brig had done some good. Lovino shared a secret smile with himself. He learn to live with this Antonio.

* * *

Matthew stood on the deck of the _Sapphire Dawn_. He stared out at the crowds of people, waiting for Papa and Father to return. It was strange being alone. Never in his life had he been by himself for so long. Even when Papa had been working for that evil pirate, Feli had kept him company. But now everyone was out doing something or other and they all left Matthew behind.

So this alone thing was pretty new to him.

"Whatcha doing, birdie?" asked a voice from behind him.

Matthew spun around and came face to face with the albino pirate from the Spanish ship. His eyes widened in surprise. Gilbert didn't talk to him much. Lukas only just allowed him to walk around above decks a few days ago. Not to mention, Matthew usually spent more time with Matthias, Feli, or Ludwig.

To be honest, Gilbert was kinda scary. He was the one who took Alfred after all.

Gilbert must have interpreted his expression of terror and let out a laugh. "No need to be so freaked out, birdie. I'm too awesome to bite."

Matthew looked at him suspiciously.

The albino sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. I get it. You don't like me. Neither does Francis. And you both have good reason. I mean, I grabbed your brother, but I was just following orders. I didn't mean to put you through all that hell. If I knew what Antonio was planning I wouldn't have done it. I'm really sorry." He cleared his throat and looked at the deck. "So I guess I just wanted to apologize. I'll go now."

He started to walk away, but Matthew called after him.

"Wait!" he shouted. Gilbert turned, surprised by the loud noise coming from the quiet boy. Matthew immediately went back to his shy demeanor. "I-I forgive y-you."

Gilbert's red eyes widened. "You do?"

Matthew nodded. "Papa says it's not good to hold grudges. It makes a person mean and cold."

Gilbert paused for a moment, stunned at the wisdom pouring from the boy's mouth. He quickly shook himself out of it and laughed, ruffling Matthew's hair. "You're really clever. You know that, birdie?"

"Birdie?" Matthew asked. He nose scrunched up in distaste.

"Yep!" Gilbert laughed. That seemed to be his natural response to everything. "Awesome nickname, right?!" The albino then proceeded to answer his own question. "Of course it is! I came up with it. And since I'm awesome, anything I think must be awesome too!"

Matthew felt like there was a hole in that logic, but decided to refrain from pursuing that train of thought. Instead, he asked Gilbert a question.

"Do you know what happened to Alfred?"

The Prussian took a sharp breath. Matthew couldn't believe the man could any paler, but somehow Gilbert managed it. "Uh, well… Um, I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that…" But nevertheless, he bent down to whisper it in his ear. Matthew's jaw dropped.

"What are you doing?" demanded a French voice. Matthew turned his head to find Papa hovering behind him. The Frenchman placed a protective hand on his shoulder.

When he received no answer, he spoke again. "I asked you a question, Beilschmidt."

Matthew spoke for him. "We were talking about Alfred."

Papa crouched down and pulled Matthew close. "Oh, _mon petit ours_. Do not fret. This is something you needn't worry about."

Matthew expression turned indignant. His face heated up and his fists curled. "Papa, I haven't seen Alfred in over a month. He's the only blood family I have left. I have the right to worry about my brother!"

Papa pulled away. He refused to look him in the eyes for a long while. Finally, he sighed and Matthew realized that he had won. "Alright," Papa said softly. "When your Father comes back, we will talk."

Matthew shy and demure attitude quickly came back. He thanked Papa and then turned to Gilbert. He cleared his throat nervously. "Um, Mister Gilbert, i-if y-you aren't doing a-anything, w-will you play with me?"

The albino laughed once more. He scooped Matthew up off his feet and threw the blonde boy into the air with ease. Papa shrieked in terror, but Gilbert caught him with ease. "I'm only sixteen, little birdie," he grinned. "'Mister' is for unawesome old people!"

* * *

Arthur returned hours later and Francis met him outside his cabin.

"Arthur," he said slowly. "We need to talk."

The Englishman's thick eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

Francis sighed and ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "It's Matthew. He's demanded we tell him where Alfred is."

Arthur nodded. He knew this was going to come. "Alright. I'll get Ludwig and Kiku."

Now it was the Frenchman's turn to be confused. "Why? Can't you just tell him yourself?"

Arthur let out a nervous laugh. "Well, you see, Francis… I never actually asked any of them about Alfred."

The silence that filled the corridor was deafening. Arthur risked a glance at Francis' face, but couldn't interpret the expression there.

The silence stretched on until Francis finally spoke. "You never asked? You never asked!? Why wouldn't you ask?! Don't you care about Alfred at all?!"

Arthur's rage boiled over at that last scathing question. "How dare you accuse me of that, bloody frog! Of course I love him. He and Matthew are my world! I didn't ask because it would only hurt us more! We weren't able help him then and I didn't want to put you or Matthew through that!"

Francis simply dropped to his knees, covering his face with his hands. Arthur finally realized why the other was so upset. It wasn't just this. It was the whole experience. The Frenchman must have been hold himself together for the sake of the family since the kidnaping. He was always the one holding them when they broke down. But had never let himself cry over this until now.

Arthur dropped down next to his lover and drew him into his arms. Francis grabbed hold of his shirt. He buried his face and Arthur stroked the Frenchman's blonde locks. Francis was muttering things in French as he cried, but Arthur couldn't translate it, so he simply settled for holding his love.

It took Francis several minutes before he stopped crying. Once he was finished, Arthur lifted his chin and forced them to look each other in the eyes. "I didn't want to hurt you more than you already were. Do you understand?"

Francis nodded. " _Oui_. But there will be no stops until we find Alfred."

"Agreed," said Arthur seriously. He pulled a tight lipped smile onto his face. "Now, let's get Matthew and find Alfred."

* * *

"What do you mean 'Russian freighter'?!" Arthur screamed at Ludwig. "Bloody hell! You all just let Carriedo hand my son over to some blasted Russian!"

Francis tried to calm his husband down. "Arthur! _S'il vous plait_! Let them finish."

Arthur reluctantly sat down in the captain's chair. They were meeting in his cabin since it was the only one with sufficient privacy. They weren't a large group anyway, just him, Francis, Matthew, Yao, Kiku and Ludwig. The rest of the crew would find out the details tomorrow when they return from their land night.

Kiku cleared his throat as he prepared to speak. "I managed to get some information from the crew while Antonio was speaking with Braginski, their captain. The member I talked to had quite the loose tongue and I learned where their next three stops would be. Yao and I have already talked with Lukas about various courses they would have taken and where we could intercept them."

Arthur cocked an eyebrow at the Japanese. He liked it when the crew took some initiative. He gestured for Kiku to continue.

"This should be the best place for us to catch them," Kiku said, laying a map across Arthur's desk and pointing at the spot he referenced. "They are just traders, so there should not be much need for violence."

Arthur caught both Francis and Matthew yawning in the corner of his eye. He stood and said, "Thank you. I promise you will both be receiving worthy payment for all your help. Yao, make sure everything's in place by noon. I want to leave here as quickly as possible. Now, I must bid you goodnight, gentlemen."

The crew members quickly scattered away once they were dismissed.

Arthur turned to his husband. Francis had taken the liberty of undressing as soon as the last man was out. Arthur shook his head but quickly removed his captain's garb. He moved to the bed and slid under the covers with Francis and Matthew.

The three males snuggled together just like they had the first night and every night since. Arthur couldn't wait until Alfred joined them.

* * *

 **Translations:**

 _Non_. _Il n'a eu que ce qu'il mérite. -_ No. He got what he deserved.

* * *

 **A/N: Ha-ha! I bet you all thought you were finally going to see Alfred again! Well, in truth, that was the original plan, however, all this sorta got in the way. I would have condensed it more and tried to fit it all in one chapter, but it sorta got out of hand. It would also lessen the dramatic impact of the next chapter's introduction.**

 **But you at least know where he is so that's good right?**

 **This thing gave me hell trying to write, so leave a review! My fingers are starting to hurt again too. . .**

 **Anywho, thanks for reading!**


	6. Silver Deals

**A/N: Finally! Finally! You get Alfred! After five chapters of no screen time, Alfred is joining us.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Alfred stared out across the expanse of ocean before him. Every so often an iceberg would block his view of the horizon and the boy was grateful that Katyusha had insisted that Ivan got him a coat.

But as "nice" as Ivan was, he was still creepy and Alfred couldn't wait until Father arrived.

It had almost been four months since Alfred had seen Mattie and Papa. Five since Antonio set his house on fire. Six and a half since he had last seen Father himself. But he wasn't worried. Father would come.

But that didn't mean Alfred was happy about waiting.

"Why isn't he here yet?" he muttered.

"Why isn't who here?" asked a voice from behind.

The boy turned to see Toris standing there and he grinned. "Father, of course!"

Toris frowned at him. "Alfred, you've been with us for three months now. If your Father was coming, don't you think he'd already have been here?"

Alfred let loose a wild laugh. It wasn't the first time they had this conversation. Toris always tried to convince him that Father wasn't coming, but he was wrong. Father would never give up on him, so Alfred would never give up on him.

"Don't be silly!" exclaimed Alfred. "He, Papa, Matthew, the whole crew! You'll see! They'll be here. I know it."

The pitying look didn't leave Toris' eyes, but he gave up on trying to convince the boy. He sighed and said, "Ivan has your list ready."

Alfred groaned. Not another list. Really he should have expected it by this point. Everyday Ivan gave him a stupid list of chores. It was awful. But the worst part was if he didn't finish, he wouldn't get dinner.

Big Russian jerk. Using food like that should be a crime!

So, with great reluctance and dragging of feet, Alfred walked over to Ivan who was at the steering wheel. Without a word - just one of his creepy little smiles - Ivan handed him today's list. Alfred skimmed it over and groaned again. It was a long one.

"Problem, little boy?" the captain asked with a smirk.

Alfred grimaced. He hated that nickname. "No, _Captain_ ," he said sarcastically. He spun on his heel and headed down to the main deck to begin his chores.

As he worked, he quickly got lost in his thoughts. He thought about dinner last night. He thought about the last time they were in port. He thought about dinner tonight. He thought about all the interesting people he had met since getting kidnapped. He thought about the dinner they were having tomorrow.

But mostly he thought about his family.

He had missed them so much the first few weeks, but that pain had slowly dulled. He still missed them, of course, but it turned from despair and abandonment to hope. He hoped that Father had rescued Mattie and Papa. He prayed for that every night. He hoped that they were safe. As long as Mattie was okay, Alfred was good. That was probably the worst part of this whole thing - worse than the chores at least.

This was the longest Alfred had ever been without his twin and not knowing his condition only made things worse. It wasn't as bad as the first time, but it was still pretty bad.

Suddenly a bell rang out across the deck, stirring Alfred from his thoughts. What was going on? Were they under attack? Was he gonna have to fight?

The boy reached for the knife Ivan had demanded he carry since boarding the ship. The man had given him lessons and Alfred was okay, but nowhere near skilled enough to fight.

The ship turned and Ivan called out, "Do not worry. We are assisting wounded ship!"

Alfred looked around at the nearby ocean and spotted the ship Ivan was talking about. A grin split his face when he recognized it.

Father was finally here!

* * *

"See," Arthur insisted cockily, gesturing to the turning ship. "I told you it would work."

Francis chuckled. "I just didn't think this _captaine_ would be so foolish."

Arthur snorted a laugh. "It worked on the man I got you from, didn't it?"

"True," the Frenchman smirked. He thought back on the event with delight. "But that man was _un imbecile_. Not to mention his horrid lack of fashion sense."

Arthur shook his head, amused. He raised his spyglass to his face. The Englishman scanned the approaching ship. His shoulders tightened and he readjusted the lenses. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

"Arthur? What's wrong?" Francis asked, fearing the worst for his little boy.

The Englishman lowered the telescope, but his eyes remained on the Russian ship. He was like a statue. Frozen in time by whatever he had seen on the ship. Francis was nearly afraid to touch his love. Afraid to break this spell trapping his husband.

When he finally turned to him, Arthur's face was painted with joy and delight. He spoke quietly, but Francis could hear the relief on his tone.

"He's alive," Arthur whispered. His voice rose as he continued. "Alfred's alive. We found him, Francis. We're not too late! We found him!" His voice dropped back to a whisper. "He's alive."

Francis held his lover close, letting all of Arthur's relief pour into him. Alfred would be back in their arms soon. Their family would be complete once more.

* * *

Now, Ivan was no fool. Quite the opposite in fact. He had been waiting for this since the day he picked Alfred Kirkland up from that idiotic Spaniard. That was right. He knew exactly who the boy was. He knew exactly who captained that "wounded" ship. He knew exactly why it was here.

And he knew exactly how to twist that to his advantage.

Which is why as soon as he explained the plan to his crew, he instructed Toris to fetch Alfred. The skittish Lithuanian nodded hurriedly and rushed away. Ivan had no idea why the man was so fearful, but that wasn't his concern at the moment.

Alfred appeared at Ivan's side, but his attention wasn't on the captain. Instead, all his focus was on his father's ship. Poor boy had no idea about what was about to go down.

Ivan kept a steady hand on the wheel. when the two ships drew close enough for Ivan to make out the crew's' faces, he stopped his ship. There was a good amount of water in between the two ships - meaning someone would have to take a boat in order to reach the other.

Alfred, being the foolish little boy he was, decided to take this opportunity to try and jump ship. Apparently he thought it would be a great idea to swim across the frigid waters of the north Atlantic to his father's ship. But Ivan caught him by his collar before he could even take two steps.

"Hey!" Alfred shouted furiously. His hands flew back and latched onto Ivan's. He pulled on his fingers, trying to escape. "Let me go!"

Ivan chuckled. "Nyet, little boy. I can't let you be jumping into ocean. Not good for you, da?" He lifted the boy into the air. Alfred struggled and kicked and wriggled but it was fruitless. The captain's grip was just too strong. He raised the boy and forced him to look him in the eye. "If you promise to stay right here, I will put you down, da? Be good?"

Alfred scowled at him, but he was too young for it to actually be intimidating. "Got it," he muttered.

Ivan smiled and put him down like he promised. Thankfully, Alfred did as he was told and simply stood there and pouted.

The captain looked to see how his plan was progressing. Toris, Felixs, and Natalia were preparing to supplies to "help" the injured ship. Ivan didn't want to give away his intentions just quite yet. Katyusha was safely hidden below decks. Everything was going going smoothly thus far.

Ivan scanned the nearby waters for the boat Eduard and Ravis had taken to the other ship. He frowned when he found them. There was only supposed to be four people in the boat - Captain Kirkland, his first mate, and Ivan's two crew members.

Instead, there was five. Two new blondes and a raven haired man.

However, there was nothing he could do about it now. He still had enough fighters to take down the three. Toris, Eduard, and Ravis did not look like much, but they were efficient killers when they wanted to be.

The dingy bumped up against the ship. Ivan signaled for ropes to be dropped down and the five men were quickly brought aboard. Ravis was first, then the dark haired man, a tall blonde, a shorter blonde, and finally Eduard.

Ivan could see them clearly now. He knew from rumors that one of the blondes was Kirkland, but since he had never met the infamous pirate before, he couldn't tell which one. If he had to guess, it'd be the shorter of the two. The man's emerald glare was that of a true pirate. The other blonde seemed more subdued. However, he seemed to be keeping the shorter under control, which would indicate a higher rank. The third man was clearly not European, and what Ivan had assumed to be black hair from far away, actually turned out to be brown. The man's eyes were brown and he looked extremely annoyed by the situation, but Ivan could see undertones of something else in them.

All that passed through his mind in a flash for as soon as the two blondes spotted the boy next to him, they were calling his name.

"Alfred!" the green eyed man cried out.

His shout was immediately followed by, " _Mon lapin_!"

This caused Alfred to instantly forget their little deal and sent him rushing for the two blondes.

Ivan couldn't have that.

Quick as lighting, the Russian whipped out his pipe. He stretched it out in front of the boy's path. Alfred skidded to a stop seconds before getting hit with the weapon. Ivan grabbed the boy once more - this time by the arm. Cries of distress arose from the blondes as he pulled the boy close.

His crew immediately knew what to do. Before the enemy had time to react, Ivan's crew was on them. They pinned the pirates' arms to their sides and forced them to kneel.

Ivan's grip on Alfred's arm tightened involuntarily and the boy cried out in pain. The green eyed man's fury rose at the sound. "Let our son go, you-"

"'Our son'?" Ivan questioned childishly. "Who is 'our'? You tell me your names now. Da?"

The Englishman simply glared at him. When it became obvious that he had no intention of speaking, the dark haired man sighed.

"I am Wang Yao, aru," he said quietly. He spoke with a strange accent that Ivan couldn't place. "First mate to Arthur Kirkland, Captain of the Sapphire Dawn. The Frenchman is Francis Bonnefoy, his husband. The boy you hold is their son, Alfred."

"Yao," Kirkland growled warningly, but the damage was done.

"I see," replied Ivan. This was unexpected, but it could work to his advantage.

Bonnefoy stared at him desperately. "Please, _si'l vous plait_. I just want my family whole again."

Kirkland was more direct. "Give me back my son, you insufferable git! I'll rip out your tongue and-"

"You are very rude, da," the Russian commented thoughtfully, causing Arthur to splutter in rage. He opened his mouth - probably to continue his curses - but Ivan spoke once more. "But I will give him back anyway."

Kirkland froze, ready to scream profanities, but no sound came out. The Frenchman was the same, but his expression held more hope.

"Y-You will?" he asked slowly not quite believing him. "Just like that?"

"Nyet." Ivan shook his head and Bonnefoy's face fell. "There are conditions, da. But all is very simple."

"We have plenty of money," Kirkland spat. "Name your price."

"No gold." Ivan patted Alfred on the head. The boy cringed and tried to dodge, but Ivan's hold was as strong as ever. "Little boy has been good crew. I want replacement."

* * *

Silence. No one spoke. No one moved. All was silent. Braginski had made his demands and no one knew what to do.

Yao wracked his brain for a solution. He knew Arthur would never volunteer anyone from the crew. They were too much like family. But Alfred was Arthur's true son and Yao had promised that he would make sure they were reunited. What to do? What to do?

The Chinese was so consumed by his thoughts that he barely heard Francis ask, "Is there nothing else you will take, _monsieur_?" The Frenchman sounded so tearful.

"Nyet. I need crew," was the Russian's cold response. That only confirmed Yao's supsions. There was no way to change Braginski's mind.

The words of Yao's promise pounded in his head. I will stand by you when you welcome your family aboard this ship. That was when the idea came to him. Even if could not stand by Arthur on his ship, Yao would make sure the family was reunited.

He could only hope Leon could forgive him.

* * *

Arthur couldn't believe his ears. Did Yao just say what he thought he said?

He cleared his throat. "Um, Yao, I think I misheard you. If you would say that again, please?"

"No, Arthur, you heard correctly, aru. I will join Captain Braginski's crew in exchange for Alfred's freedom," the Chinese repeated softly.

Arthur blinked and shook his head. This didn't make sense. Yao wouldn't leave him. Not now. His brother was still on the ship. What had Arthur done to cause the Chinese to leave?

"Why?" the Englishman asked weakly.

Yao sighed. He seemed to read Arthur's mind as he spoke. "It is not you, my friend. But I made you a promise when you first told me about your family, aru. I swore that I would get them back to you and safely aboard even if it cost me my life."

"B-But you're my first mate! I need you!" Arthur exclaimed, looking for any reason for Yao not to leave.

"You do not need me, aru." Yao laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Mathias will make a great first mate, Lukas will help him shoulder it, and Francis is an experienced navigator."

Arthur knew what he was saying was true but he still didn't want to let go. Yao and his brother were the newest of his crew but he trusted them implicitly. He didn't want to lose that.

"Then I refuse to terminate your contract."

"Do not be a fool, aru. You have your son back and that is all that matters."

Arthur spluttered. "That is completely untrue, Yao. What about Leon? What will he do?"

"He will be fine with you," Yao insisted. "And what about Matthew? Think about how he will feel if you come back without Alfred."

Arthur opened his mouth to respond, but Francis cut him off.

"Yao," the Frenchman spoke quietly, but his tone demanded attention. "Is this what you want? You have no doubts? No fears?"

"I am sure," Yao replied determinedly.

Francis turned to him. "Arthur, let him go. He is doing this for you. Do not squander this gift."

Arthur wanted to continue protesting, but he knew Francis was right as well. Finally he gave in. He glared holes into Braginski as he spoke. "You had better take good care of him. Got that?"

The Russian nodded and all three men were released. Francis sat down on the deck while Arthur and Yao stood and rolled the cramps out of their shoulders.

Then suddenly a bundle of blonde plowed into him.

* * *

Alfred remained quiet throughout the exchange. He wasn't too scared. He knew Father would save him one way or another. He just didn't want it to take longer than it had to because he was making too much noise.

So he let his mind drift. He thought about all the things he was going to do when he was back with his family. The first thing would be give them all big hugs.

The little boy got so lost in his head that for a second his didn't notice Ivan's grip on his arm lessening. Once he did, Alfred was running.

"Father!" he shouted, barreling into him. Alfred wrapped his arms around Father's middle tightly and buried his face into his shirt.

"Alfred," Father said quietly. He returned the hug just as fiercely.

"I knew you would come," Alfred whispered and Father squeezed him tighter.

Papa chuckled lightly from behind him. "What about me, _mon lapin_?"

Alfred pulled away from Father to jump on Papa. They went tumbling to the deck, Alfred laughing all the way.

This was better than he could have predicted.

Papa sat up and held him in his lap. His papa felt so warm. Father's arms wrapped around them and for the first time in nearly five months, Alfred relaxed. Nothing could hurt him as long as Father and Papa were with him.

* * *

 **Translations:**

 _un imbecile -_ a fool

 _mon lapin -_ my rabbit

* * *

 **A/N: One chapter left my friends. Then the fun part...**

 **Prequels!** **Exciting right?!**

 **The first one is going to be about how Arthur became a pirate. I can't wait to get started!**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	7. Epilogue

**A/N: Last chapter! Let's get this party started!**

 **Warning: Teeth-rotting fluff ahead. If you are prone to fits of squealing, fan-gasms, or other fandom/fluff related issues, proceed with caution.**

 **You have been warned. ;-P**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

At long last, the Kirkland-Bonnefoy family was back together. It took over four months, but finally they were reunited.

Things were different now though. The most obvious being Yao's absence. Arthur promoted Mathias to First Mate, and true to form, Lukas helped pick up his slack. Francis was brought back as the ship's navigator. Antonio's old crew was also given full time positions. Ludwig took over for Tino as the weapons handler, as well as becoming the official combat instructor for Alfred, Matthew, and Peter - much to Tino and Berwald's displeasure. Feli had also changed. The timid Italian became a lot less timid and a lot more annoying. However, his cooking skills were beyond that of even Francis, so they resisted throwing him overboard. Berwald was given the position of Head Carpenter, Tino working under him, and Gilbert was promoted to boatswain.

The only person Arthur didn't know what to do with was Kiku. The Japanese was skilled in just about everything. He could navigate, cook, build, fight. The only reason he wasn't First Mate was because Arthur discovered that he was only fifteen years old.

Leon stayed at the older Chinese insistence. Yao had refused to let his brother come with him. He knew it would hurt the boy, but staying with Arthur would be better in the long run. Leon and Emil had their weird little thing and no one - no matter how hard they tried - had the heart to - or even understood how - to break the thing up. Where one went, so did the other. Meaning, if Leon went with Yao, Emil went too, and if Emil went so did Lukas, and with Lukas would come Mathias, Tino, Berwald, and Peter. And as terrible as Ivan was, he did not deserve to be subjected to Peter.

Not to mention the fact that Arthur would literally lose over half his crew.

But the biggest change took place when they returned to the port they dropped Antonio and Lovino off at all those months ago.

* * *

"Arthur!" Francis laughed as the love of his life dragged him around the docks. "Just tell me what's going on!"

The Frenchman was blindfolded and being pulled towards some sort of surprise. They were probably getting plenty of strange looks, but Francis couldn't bring himself to care. Despite having tripped over several unknown items - docks weren't the best of places to be blindfolded - Francis was still excited for whatever Arthur had planned.

"Not a chance, frog," Arthur teased. This project had been in the works since their newest crew members had come aboard. It was actually Francis that triggered the idea two months ago and he had been working on it ever since. It was so hard keeping this a secret on their first voyage here, but it would all be worth it in the end.

Matthew giggled nearby. He was the only one in the family besides Father who knew. He had walked in on Arthur sketching diagrams and plans out on his desk, and, being invisible like he was, was able to take a peek before Father caught him. Father had sworn him to secrecy and Matthew was glad to keep it.

"Don't worry Papa!" he called cheerfully. "You'll love it!"

"This is going to be the best!" Alfred shouted into the air. Out of all his family members he was probably the most excited for this surprise. Surprises meant presents. Maybe Father had gotten him his very own ship! Then he could be a pirate captain too! Just like Father!

They stopped. Francis reached for his blindfold, but Arthur caught his hand before he could touch it.

"Not just yet, love," the Englishman said softly. "Allow me."

Francis felt his lover move behind him. Arthur moved his shoulders so he was facing just right before reaching for the piece of cloth. It fell away and Francis looked upon the most magnificent ship he had ever seen.

It was tall and wide. The wood glistened and shimmered in the water's reflection. Blue, green, and purple trim lined the hull and an ornate railing lined the uppermost decks. Windows lined the sides and a long gangplank stretched to the deck.

"So what do you think?" Arthur asked hopefully.

Francis was so awestruck that he almost couldn't reply. "I-It's amazing."

"You got me a ship? No way!" Alfred shouted. "Thanks Father!"

"No Alfred," said Matthew, punching his brother playfully. "This ship is for all of us."

Francis turned to Arthur questioningly. "All of us?"

Arthur turned beet red. "I-I don't-" He cleared his throat and spoke with more confidence. "I don't want you staying on land or running a tavern or whatever it is you do while I'm away. I want you and boys with me. If this experience has taught me anything, it's that I can't risk losing any of you again."

"Boys?" Francis called, eyebrows furrowing. "Why don't you go check out the decks?"

The boys cheered and rushed up the gangplank. Arthur looked at him, asking 'why?' with his eyes. Francis took a deep breath.

"Won't that be dangerous? For the boys, I mean."

"Ludwig can teach them combat. We can protect them. Please, Francis! I can't lose any of you."

Arthur sounded so desperate, so scared, that Francis' heart twisted in pain. The Brit was one of the strongest people he knew. To hear him speak like this was terrifying.

Francis gripped his lover's shoulders tightly for reassurance. " _Mon bijou,_ calm yourself. I am not saying no."

Arthur blinked. "You're not?"

"Of course not, amor." Francis smiled broadly. "I love you. You are more beautiful than any jewel in the sea. How could I not agree to seeing you everyday and ravishing you every night?"

Arthur scowled, but Francis knew he secretly glowed under the praise. "Bloody frog."

"Papa! Father! You gotta check this out! It's awesome!" Alfred called, leaning over the banister. Matthew quickly joined him.

"Alfred! Matthew! Get back from the edge!" Arthur ordered. He marched up the gangplank determinedly.

Francis laughed and followed.

* * *

So that was how they got to the position they were in now.

Francis looked down on his boys and husband as they slept peacefully. They were all snuggled up on his and Arthur's bed and Francis didn't mind one bit. Alfred had his back pressed to Arthur's chest and both their arms were curled around Mathieu.

It was so peaceful.

Beautiful.

Francis sighed. He wanted to capture this moment in his mind forever.

Arthur cracked an eye open and sent him a one-eyed glare. "Turn off the bloody light will you? Some of us are trying to sleep here."

Francis just smiled and the light was off a second later. He lay down next to Matthew. Snuggling in close, he wrapped an arm around the child and atop Arthur and Alfred.

His family was complete. All together on a ship they could call their own.

The _Jewel of the Sea_.

* * *

 **A/N: And there it is. I just finished my first multi-chapter story! So many emotions! I can't deal!**

 **So I'll solve my problems by writing. (Are there writing disorders? I think I may have one...)**

 **Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. I got no flames or anything and you were all wonderful! Thank you so much!**

 **Anywho, be on the look out for the first prequel of many. (I hope.)** **It will be called Geode. Can't wait to see you there!**

 **But for now, fare thee well, my dearest compatriots.**


	8. Character Notes

**A/N: Hello! I'm back even after I told you I was done! Haha! Isn't that nice?**

 **And... No, I'm not here to tell you there won't be a prequel. Because there will be. And it's going to be fabulous.**

 **I'm here to point out some changes I made in the previous chapters. As well as just some important character notes. It's mostly just character ages.**

 **So let's get going!**

* * *

Kiku - 15

Gilbert - 16 (Ludwig's **younger** brother)

Ludwig - 19

Feli - 20

Lovino - 24

Antonio - 30

Arthur - 31

Francis - 31

Alfred/Matthew - 13

Yao - 26

Leon - 17

Emil - 17

Lukas - 23

Mathias - 24

Berwald - 34

Tino - 32

Peter - 15


End file.
